Cultivator



(No Model.)

N. H. SHEPARDSON.

GULTIVATOR..

'Palte'ntedApr. 20, 1886.

I ES:

INVENTOR:

BY I' v ATTORNEYS.

WITNESS 'tion of the same,

NORRIS H; SHEPARDSON, OF VEST HALIFAX, VERMONT.

CULTIVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming Application filed July 8,1855. Serial No. 170,954.

part of Letters Patent No. 340,375, dated April 20, 1886.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NORRIS H. SHEPARD- soN, of West Halifax, in the county of Windham and State of Vermont, have invented a new and Improved Cultivator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, formingapart of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of one of my improved cultivators. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same, taken through the line as m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional front elevataken through the line 3 y, Fig. 2.

The object of this invention is to provide cultivators constructed in such a manner that they can be readily extended or contracted in width, and that they can be readily turned around and moved from place to place.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of various parts of the cultivator, as will be hereinafter fully described, and then claimed.

A represents the central beam, to the opposite sides of which, at alittle distance from its forward end, are hinged by plat-es B and bolts C, or other suitable means, the forward ends of the side beams, D.

To the upper sides of the rear parts of the side beams, D, are pivoted at their angles the angular bars E. the arms of which project at right angles or nearly at right angles with each other, circles passing through the pivots of the said bars, and having their centers at the pivotsC of the said side beams, D. The pivots F of the bars E are placed one so far infront of the other that the in wardly-proj ecting arms of the said bars will be parallel with each other and at such a distance apart as to receive between them a small pinion-wheel, G, attached to the vertical shaft H, the lower end of which is pivoted to the central beam, A, at a little distance from its rear end.

Upon the adjacent edges of the arms of the bars Ethat is to say, upon the rear or convex edges of the forward bar, and upon the forward or concave edges of the rear bar-are and are curved upon the arcs of formed teeth to mesh into the teeth of the pinionwheel G, so that by turning the said pinion-wheel the side beams, D, can be moved from or toward'each other, to expand or contract the cultivator as the distance apart of the rows of plants may require.

The shaft H passes up througha holein the cross-bar l, which connects the handles J. The forward ends of the handles J are secured to a bolt, K, to the opposite sides of the central beam, A, a little in the rear of the forward ends of the side beams, D. The handles J are secured at any desired elevation by pins L, and washers, placed above and below the cross-bar I and passed through holes formed through the shaft H, and are held from rocking by a curved brace, M, the ends of which are attached to the end parts of the cross-bar I, and through the center of which the said shaft H passes, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Upon the upper end of the shaft H is formed aring, N, or other suitable handle, or to it is attached acrank-arm, lever, orhand-wheel, so that-the said shaft and the pinion-wheel attached to it can be readily turned to expand or contract the cultivator.

The rack -bars E are kept in contact with the pinion-wheel G, and the said pinion-wheel is covered and protected by a keeper, 0, attached to the central beam, A.

The pinion-wheel G is kept from turning, and the side bars, D, are held in any position into which they may be adjusted by a lever pawl, P,'pivoted to the central beam, A, and held in gear with the said pinion wheel by a catch, Q, also attached to the said central beam.

\Vhen a wide cultivator is required, the long arms of the angular bars E are used, and the short arms of the said bars are used when a narrow cultivator is required, to prevent the ends of the long arms from projecting and being in the way, the arms not being used extending along the upper sides of the side beams, D.

To the side beams, D, and the forward part of the central beam, A, are attached the shanks of the cultivator-teeth R, which shanks pass up through holes in the said beams and are secured in place by nuts and washers, by slotted plates, or by other suitable means.

To supports A, between the D, and the forward forward ends of the side beams, ends of the handles J, is

attached to the central beam, Y

oted at their angles to the side beams, a pinion on the main beam for operating the rackbars, and a locking-lever engaging the pinion to prevent its rotation, substantially as set forth.

4. The eombination,-with the main beam having a keeper, 0, on its rear end, a pinion journaled within the keeper, and the side beams hinged to the forward end of the main beam, of the angular rack-bars, each having one toothed arm passed through the keeper on l opposite sides of and in engagement with the pinion, the swiveled lever P, having teeth for locking the pinion and a catch for engaging The lever S and wheel T are held in any the free end of the said lever, substantially as placle intog'higth tlheytmaly be acljustgd by tllie set;5 foi' tkh. b t th b] b ca 0 ar a acicc 0 -1e con ra eam, e com Ina 1011, W] 1e main eam and with which engages a spring lever-pawl, having the vertical shaft H,journaled on its V,connected with the said lever S, as shown in rear end, and the pinion G on the shaft, of the Figs. 1 and 3. side beams having the pivoted angular rack- Having thus described my invention, lclaim bars E, the handles pivoted at their forward as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent ends to the beam A, and the apertured cross- 1. In a cultivator, the combination, with beam I on the shaft H and connecting the the central beam, A, the hinged side beams, i handles, the beam I being vertically adjust- D, and the crossbar and handles I J, of the i able on the shaft for adjusting the height of angular rack bars E, having unequal arms, the handles, substantially as set forth. the pini0n-wheel G, engaging with the saidj 6. The combination, with the main beam pivoted a lever, S, the forward end of which projects in front of the forward end of the central beam, A, and to it is pivoted a small wheel, T. The rear end of the lever S extends back into such a position that it can be readily reached and operated by the plowman while walking in the rear of the cultivator.

\Vith this construction, by opera-ting the lever S the wheel T can be lowered, raising the forward end of the cultivator above the ground, so that by raising the rear end of the said cultivator the cultivator can be turned around or drawn from place to place upon the wheel T in the manner of a Wheelbarrow.

rack-bars, and the shaft H, carrying the said and side beams hinged thereto, and provided pinion-Wheel, substantially as herein shown I with pivoted angular rack-bars E, of the verand described, whereby the said cultivator can l tical apertured shaft H on the beam A, the be readily expanded and contracted, as set l pinion G. meshing with the angular rack.-bars, forth. i the handles J, pivoted to the main beam, the

2. The combination, with the main beam l apertured cross-bar I on the shaft H, pins L and thehinged side beams of a cultivator, of in the apertures of shaft H, and the curved the angular rack-bars pivoted at their angles brace M, having a central aperture, through to the side beams, and having long and short which the shaft H passes, and secured at its toothed arms, and a pinion on the main beam ends to the cross-bar I, substantially as set ior operating the long or short toothed arms forth. of the saidrack-bars, substantially as set forth. NORRIS H. SHEPARDSON.

3. In a cultivator, the combination with the Vvitnesses:

LIZZIE A. Tar'r, CLARENCE H. SHEPARDsoN.

main beam and the side beams, rack-bars having teeth on both of the angular arms and piv- 

